Introduction

Acer has recently announced yet another ground-breaking monitor at the [email protected] event. The Acer Predator X27 will feature 144Hz refresh rate with Nvidia G-Sync HDR and 4K resolution. Back in January, Acer had also announced a gaming monitor with the same specifications, the Acer Predator XB272-HDR, which took all of us by storm. Now, as if it weren’t enough, Acer takes the already cutting-edge display to the next level with an addition of the built-in Tobii eye tracking technology.

On a related note, Acer has also announced another gaming monitor with a high refresh rate and the Tobii eye tracking, the Acer Predator Z271UV G-Sync display with a 1440p native resolution, 1800R curvature, and 165Hz overclockable refresh rate, among other things. Additionally, they announced a monitor for designers dubbed as the Acer ProDesigner PE320QK with HDR support, 4K UHD resolution, and four USB type C ports.

Specifications

27 Inches Screen

3840×2160 Resolution (4K, UHD)

16:9 Aspect Ratio

IPS Panel

144Hz

4ms Response Time

Nvidia G-Sync, ULMB

HDR10

Quantum-Dot

Ports: HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4

Built-in Tobii Eye Tracking Technology

Built-in Speakers: 2x7W

Brightness: 1000 cd/m2 Peak

Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 100M:1

Features

The quantum dots in the Acer Predator X27 4K monitor expand the range of colors to a 100% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, and 96% DCI-P3 color gamut which ensures accurate, consistent, and vibrant colors at all times. In combination with the peak brightness of 1,000 nits, higher contrast ratio, HDR (High Dynamic Range) support, and the local dimming in 384 individually controlled zones, the image quality of this gaming beast will be otherworldly and drastically change the way video games look. Naturally, that’s gonna require a lot of power from your computer; in fact, there is no powerful enough graphics cards nor connectors with adequate bandwidth available at the moment which can unleash the full potential of this monitor.

The Acer Predator X27 HDR display will feature AU Optronics’ M270QAN02.2 AHVA panel which is responsible for the high brightness and refresh rate combination. The AHVA panel, essentially an IPS, also ensures the impeccable 178-degree viewing angles, a rapid 4ms response time, and consistent colors.

Once the monitor’s released as well as the proper equipment needed to fuel the full potential of the Acer Predator X27 144Hz gaming monitor, Nvidia G-Sync will make sure that the gameplay performance is as smooth as possible. Those with G-Sync compatible Nvidia graphics card will be able to synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate and thus gain a more steady FPS (Frames Per Second) rate which will eliminate screen tearing and stuttering as well as reduce the input lag and prevent fluctuating of the FPS.

The difference between 144Hz and 60Hz in fast-paced video games is nowadays clear to everyone. In competitive gaming, a 144Hz gaming monitor gives the players a colossal advantage over the other players with regular monitors due to imperceptible latency and tearing as well as an overall smoother performance. However, being able to finally reach 144Hz on 4H UHD resolution is something which will certainly take the gaming world to the next level.

The Tobii eye tracking technology is a built-in camera which tracks the eye movement of the player in order to help him aim and respond in fast-paced action video games. In addition to the GameView features of the Predator series such as the crosshair overlays, the Dark Boost for better visibility in the dark scenes, and the pre-calibrating gaming presets, video games will feel significantly more intuitive and exciting, especially the FPS genre.

Design & Connectivity

Not much has been revealed about the design in terms of screen coating and the cabinet finish. However, we do know its ergonomic functionalities which involve up to 115mm height adjustment, +/- 45 degrees swivel, and -5, 25 degrees tilt. It’s also unknown whether the Acer Predator X27 PC monitor will be VESA mount compatible.

The connector ports include an HDMI 2.0 which maxes out at 60Hz, and two DisplayPort 1.4 which support the Nvidia G-Sync technology and use 4:2:2 chroma subsampling in order to stay within the bandwidth of the DisplayPort. There are no extra USB ports specified but there is an audio line-out port for the 2x7W built-in speakers.

Price

The release date and the price are unknown at the moment (April 2017). Although we expect it to be released sometime in the third quarter of 2017 and we fear that the price won’t be below $1,500. Until then, we will still be eagerly anticipating the release of the first 144Hz 4K gaming monitors which should be sometime in the second quarter of 2017.

Conclusion

The Acer Predator X27 G-Sync HDR monitor is set to change the way people play games, for the right price. This high-end toy will bring video games to life thanks to the incredible brightness level, the superior contrast ratio, and a wide color gamut made possible by the quantum dots and individually controlled 384 backlight zones. The monitor is certainly ahead of its time due to the limitations of the current connector ports and graphics cards, although who knows what’s gonna happen by the end of the year as we’re not even halfway through it yet we’re already seeing some revolutionary products in the works.

Acer Predator X27

Overall - 9.5/10

9.5/10

Summary

The Acer Predator X27 will break ground with its innovative 144Hz at 4K gaming possibility. Moreover, it will provide an otherworldly image quality thanks to the quantum dots and 384-zone backlight which allow for incredible brightness and range of colors.